Impressions
by Miss Romance-Lover
Summary: AU Stendan. As the age-old saying goes, first impressions are not always what they seem...
1. Chapter 1

**I wrote this last year for another fandom and decided to edit it for Stendan. Might expand it to a two-parter if anyone wants more – if not it works as a simple, stand-alone one shot. Oh and if you read my other one-off story, **Our Love Was Lost**, thanks so much for the lovely feedback! :)**

Impressions

Trying not to collide with the revolving doors, Ste Hay ran inside the building without pausing to take a breath. He was usually _never_ late; but today he was behind by a good twenty minutes, and it had rattled him. Needless to say, that alarm clock was going straight in the bin when he got home.

"Oh! Sorry!" he called out as he managed to bump into someone on the way to the lift. He stepped back cautiously and looked up to find himself staring into the face of a handsome, moustachioed stranger.

"No problem. Are ye alright? Ye look a little panicked," the man replied in a thick Irish accent, offering him a lopsided smile.

"I'm fine. Thank you," he said with an appreciative smile back. Seeing him continue on towards the lift, Ste followed and waited with him until the doors opened. When they did, he let him step inside first.

He swiftly jabbed his finger at the third floor button, wishing his quickness would will the lift to work faster. "Just a bit late for work," he added as an afterthought, explaining away his haste.

"I know the feeling," the man agreed, his eyes twinkling in identification with his admission.

Ste watched as he absently pushed at one of the lift buttons himself. The floor this guy seemed to be heading up to was not his own, but the one which he knew for a fact was holding interviews all day.

"So...you're here for an interview?" he broached curiously, suddenly forgetting his lateness – at least for the short time he was going to be sharing a lift with this man.

His face briefly blanked over, and then he smiled again. "Yes, I suppose I am," he nodded.

"Well, I'm sure you'll be..." Ste was cut off mid-sentence as the lift came to a sudden lurch, and then halted altogether.

"What was _that_?" he exclaimed anxiously, his mind re-registering the fact that he really had to be somewhere, and that somewhere was _not_ inside this lift.

"I think it's stuck," his companion offered casually. He resisted the urge to glare at him and instead reached over to push all the buttons, as if this would somehow jolt the lift back to life.

But there was no sound. Of _course_ there wasn't, Ste said to himself. This was one of the oldest stories of disaster in the book: getting trapped in a lift at the most inconvenient of times. He would just have to accept that they would be staying here until someone else tried to use the lift and worked out that it was broken.

"I guess we've got a bit of a wait ahead of us," the man remarked before shrugging off his jacket and slinging it over his shoulder.

Ste stared at him and was once again distracted from his own concerns. And it wasn't just the Irishman's looks that did the trick. Rather, it was his whole attitude. "You're very relaxed for someone who's going to be late for a job interview."

He looked almost amused, Ste thought as he waited for a response. He could only guess that he was just another one of those guys who didn't put enough effort into their career.

To be fair, it was really none of his business. But he just couldn't help commenting on his laid back outlook. It really had _no_ place in a job like this; and he wasn't being arrogant. He'd been there and got the t-shirt already when it came to laziness.

"I'm just not one for stressing out," The man explained. "There's nothing we can do to fix the situation, so we might as well not get into a frenzy about something we can't control."

It was all very well for an interviewee to keep calm; but Stehad a meeting to go to. A meeting that for some unknown reason was apparently 'unmissable'.

He sighed as he glanced at his watch and saw that he was now late by exactly forty minutes. And while he wasn't a top executive for the company, and therefore the meeting didn't desperately require his presence; he knew he would face the consequences for failing to turn up.

He had always been told it was bad 'Public Relations' not to turn up to a PR meeting. Especially if you were a part of that PR company...

"Damn! No phone signal," Ste muttered to himself as he attempted to text his friend Joanne – a colleague who would also be there this morning.

"Yeah, there never is in these things," the man remarked drily whilst absently stroking his moustache, as if he was used to such irritations.

With a groan, Ste put his phone away and turned back to face the stranger he had been stuck with for the past quarter of an hour. He decided that randomly placed comments and awkward silences would not help their situation, and introduced himself.

"I'm Ste. Nice to..."

"...be stuck in a lift with ye?" he finished ironically, making him laugh despite himself. "Good to meet ye then, Steven. And It's Brendan, by the way."

_Brendan._ Why did that name sound so familiar to him? How did he know a Brendan? For the first time since clocking eyes on him, he really studied his features. At first glance, he was handsome. At _second_ glance? Well, he almost forgot what he was doing and where he was for a moment...

And he'd called him by his full name – something he always asked everyone he knew _not_ to do. Yet for some reason, it felt right coming from his new acquaintance.

"So, what do ye do?" Brendan asked politely.

"Er...I work here," Ste told him, certain he'd already made that clear.

He chuckled good-naturedly. "Yes, I know. I actually meant what do ye _do_ here?"

Ste felt his cheeks flame red at his own stupidity. "Oh. Right. I'm in the Marketing department."

Brendan nodded, then bent to sit down on the floor, staring up at him expectantly. His feet _were_ starting to ache a bit, but he didn't really want to sit on the floor of a lift that was probably very dirty.

Then again, they could both be here for a while yet...

So he took off his coat, which thankfully wasn't brand new; and placed it on the floor so he could sit on top of it. When he looked over at him again, he was already watching him in fascination.

"What?" he asked self-consciously.

He grinned back. "Ah, nothing. So, Marketing eh?"

"Yes," he nodded, wanting to steer the conversation towards him. "So what about you? What brings you here?"

Brendan smiled, only there was something different about the way his face looked with it this time, Ste noted.

"It just seemed about time for a change," he explained vaguely.

Just as he was about to ask him what job he'd been doing before, the man beat him to it with a question of his own.

"So, how long have ye worked here for?"

"Three and a half years now," he sighed, not really meaning it to sound quite so dull. But there it was.

"Is it a boring job?" Brendan wondered, raising an eyebrow and clearly picking up on his lack of enthusiasm.

"Oh, not at all," he answered truthfully. Ste knew he had to put this delicately; it wasn't the done thing to slate your job whilst actually _in_ the workplace at the time. It could be even worse to say something he shouldn't to a potential new employee.

"It's just that I've got a degree in Business; but I don't really get to _do_ much here. I get to hear and observe a lot, though, and I guess that's what makes it interesting."

Brendan looked thoughtful for a few moments, and he took the time to check his watch again. Another half an hour had passed, only it seemed to have flown by due to the distraction of chatting to this gorgeous stranger.

"You know what? If PR is what ye are really passionate about, I'd say stick with it. If ye enjoy it and ye work hard enough, one day ye'll get to the top," Brendan said, to Ste's immense surprise.

"How do you know all that? You sound so sure," he said of his advice.

His hesitation was so brief that he almost missed it. "I have a friend who was in your position. Let's just say he was smart enough to wait around for the right opportunities."

"Okay...thanks for the tip, then." This was bizarre, he mused. Here he was, _still _trapped in the office lift with this man; listening to his philosophy on careers. And _he'd_ been in this job for years while this Brendan was here for an interview!

Not that those facts made him feel superior. What he'd told him earlier still stood. Only he'd sugar-coated it a bit. He _was_ bored with his role - just not necessarily with PR.

He wasn't quite bored enough not to stress out about missing the meeting, though. "Does your phone have any signal at all?" he asked him, rising to his feet to stretch his legs out.

They both knew what the answer would be, but Brendan took out his phone and flipped it open anyway. "No such luck," he sighed expectantly, pulling himself to a standing position now too.

Ste had already retrieved his phone and searched it for bars of reception. "Nothing on mine either. I can't believe there isn't an emergency button in this thing," he moaned, gesturing towards the other buttons.

"I'm sure that after this, it'll be in their business plan as a top priority," he teased, and Ste rolled his eyes at him.

"Good luck in that interview, joker," he shot back. "That's if we _ever_ get out of here..."

"Hey, we will," he reassured him softly, watching as he cradled his head in his hands.

Ste drew out a long breath and looked over at him. "Sorry," he offered with a weak smile. "It's just that I'm never late."

"Well, there's a first time for everything," he joked, trying to lighten the moment.

"Have you always been such an optimist?"

Brendan grinned in response, and at the sight, he quickly dealt himself a reality check that put a completely different spin on his advice. _He_ was the one with a secure job; yet here he was, close to complaining about it. Yet this man was doing his best to cheer him up when for all he knew, his own future was up in the air!

Ste was just about to thank him for forgetting all about his impending interview on his behalf; when suddenly the small space they had been trapped in whooshed to life, almost knocking them both off their feet.

In the process, he'd practically been thrown towards him, and there was a strange spark of energy radiating between them before they moved away from each other. It was more than obvious that they had both felt the connection.

"Well, how's that for timing?" Brendan commented as they steadied themselves, and the lift finally began to move again. "Ye see? Optimism _is_ the way forward!"

Ste laughed back, shaking his head just as a 'ping' sounded that signalled their arrival at his floor. He was about to bid the man good luck and say goodbye, when to his shock he stepped out of the lift alongside him.

"So, in the interest of being optimistic...ye wouldn't fancy going for a drink with me later, would ye?"

He didn't know whether he'd just imagined that; but it had sounded very much like he'd just asked him out. And suddenly he really, really wanted to say yes. Only, he knew things could be awkward.

"But we might be colleagues soon," he pointed out, silently cursing himself for having to bring up the problematic side to his suggestion.

"I might not get the job," Brendan reminded him, the smile in his voice almost telling him that he wouldn't be all that bothered if he didn't.

They hadn't moved from the spot outside the lift area yet; and while Ste was still trying to work out what to say, someone approached them and began talking in a rush.

"Brendan, where have you _been_! I've been calling you from upstairs!" said the older man, and Ste looked up in wonder at the abrupt tone.

The man he was staring at was one of the two directing partners of the company. In other words, he was the joint owner. He had never met the other one – for as long as Ste had been in the job, he'd played his part in the business overseas.

"Sorry, Benjy, we got stuck in the lift...ye might want to get someone to look into that." Brendan replied casually.

His mouth fell open, and 'Benjy', or Mr Byrne, as he knew him, looked at him. "Shouldn't you be getting to the meeting room?" he addressed him in an impatient manner.

"It's okay, _Benjamin_," Brendan interrupted pointedly. "I was just talking to Steven here about his interests in PR. I have a feeling he's being somewhat underused in the Marketing department. We'll be right behind you," Brendan explained, clearly wanting to finish his previous conversation in private.

The man eyed him warily. "Right...okay. Er, listen, Brendan. I know we've been through this already, but are you absolutely certain about your decision?"

Brendan nodded. "I am. Don't worry, Benjy. I know you can manage without me."

With an accepting nod, Mr Byrne walked on ahead; and for Ste, the penny had finally dropped.

Why the hell had he never googled the other Director online?

As they started a slow walk far behind the boss he _did_ know, he forced himself out of his state of amazement and turned his face towards the man that had given him the impression he was here merely for a job interview.

"Brady & Byrne..._You're_ Mr Brady? Brendan _Brady_?"

He smiled back a little sheepishly. "Yeah, that's me."

"Why didn't you mention this before? Why did you let me think you were coming for an interview?" he managed to ask incredulously. What he really wanted to do was have a go at him for being so cunningly deceiving for all that time. But as it turned out he was his boss, he didn't see that as a sensible idea.

"I'm sorry," Brendan replied softly. "I suppose my only defence is that it felt good to talk to someone around here who didn't know exactly who I was. When ye guessed what I was here for earlier, I just went along with it."

"That's...crazy," Ste found himself saying, at a loss for a better description. But now it occurred to him that, as ludicrous as it sounded; being the co-founding Director of a top PR company might not be a bed of roses all the time.

"Well, that's me. Crazy and optimistic," he gestured towards himself with a chuckle. "So, is it crazy for me to ask again whether ye'd be up for that drink?"

Ste simply gaped at him, and Brendan's smile didn't waver.

"But...but you're my _boss_!" he exclaimed loudly, as if he was clinically insane.

They stopped outside the door of the meeting room, and the other man stopped to look at him with his hand poised on the door handle.

"Only for another five minutes. I'm about to sign my half of the company over to Benjamin in there," He gestured inside the room with a slight nod of his head. "Decided I needed a change of direction."

As he took in this revelation, his face changed from an expression of utter shock; to confusion, and finally, into a smile that spread rapidly over his features as it dawned on him what this meant.

And as he followed him into the meeting with as much professionalism as he could muster, all he could think was that he was rather glad things weren't always what they seemed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hi all – apologies if this looked like a new update - this is just a re-post of the 2nd chapter with a new author's note. I read all your reviews and you all seem to agree that this is a story that could go further. Your comments were so lovely, so I thought that while I work on getting the latest chapter of **_Exposure _**out, I'd do a cheeky re-post and see if any new readers become interested second time around! Am going to see if I can come up with extra chapter ideas to continue this when I can :) **

**Thank you all x**

The pub was packed. Ste had arranged to meet Brendan after work, but sitting there alone in his suit and tie while nursing his pint of lager made him feel self-conscious.

Still, the Irishman would be coming dressed in the same attire, and somehow he doubted it would bother him in the slightest. Brendan Brady didn't seem the kind of man who cared what others thought about him. That much he had been able to tell from the time they'd spent in that lift together.

Two things occurred to him then. The first was that they had never exchanged numbers, so he had no way of contacting the guy if he didn't turn up – not that he thought he could work up the courage to actually _do_ that.

And the second thing – what if Brendan had changed out of his suit? He'd only been there earlier for the announcement that he was parting ways with the company. If he walked into this pub dressed in jeans and a casual shirt, Ste would be the only person dressed like he was supposed to be at a wedding.

Just like he was now...

He had to get a grip. He'd been fine this morning when they were chatting away; had even been teasing the man.

But that was before Ste had known he was stuck in a lift with his boss. Well, _ex_-boss now.

Knowing that now left a mark on him. It had crept up on him throughout the day, the realisation that he'd been asked out by a rich and powerful man from his line of work.

So now he was feeling nervous about, well, _everything_ about himself. Eight hours ago he'd been perfectly happy about who he was, albeit frustrated with his sudden inability to get to work on time. Tonight, who he was just didn't feel like it was enough for someone like Brendan.

He looked up to the sound of the entrance to the pub opening, and saw the man himself strolling inside. His tie was loose around the collar of his shirt, and he was hanging his jacket over his shoulder. He couldn't have looked more casual if he'd tried.

The sight of him settled the butterflies in Ste's stomach slightly.

He watched as Brendan turned his head left, then right as he searched for him. His face crinkled into a smile as he spotted him, and Ste grinned back.

"Have ye been waiting long?" he asked when he reached the table.

"Only been here about five minutes, no bother."

"Great. Just getting a drink, ye want another?"

Ste looked down at the glass he'd barely taken a sip out of and smiled. "Thanks, but I'll try and finish this one first."

Brendan seemed to visibly wince at himself, as if it hadn't occurred to him that the younger man was nowhere near ready for a second pint.

"Right, yeah of course."

"Nice of you to ask, though," Ste added, spurred on by the fact that this man sounded almost as nervous as he felt. "Cheers."

With an appreciative nod, Brendan gestured that he was heading up to the bar, and he was left alone with his thoughts again.

It was strange; before signing away his business, the man had been so laid back he was horizontal – literally, as he'd casually sat himself down on the dirty floor of the lift. And yet right now, even with this 'date' having been his own idea, Brendan was jittery and over-polite.

Ste smiled to himself. He'd got his expectations all wrong. The 'Mr Brady' he had only ever heard about until today wasn't an intimidating man. Yes, he had money, and from what he'd been told in the past, he was widely respected in the PR world.

But he was also human; something that Ste had caught more than a glimpse of already.

"Ye okay there, Steven?"

His head snapped up to find Brendan staring curiously at him, and he tried to pretend he hadn't just been in a world of his own.

"Yeah, good thanks. What you drinking then?"

Holding up his glass, the man took a swig from it went to sit down opposite him, folding his jacket over the back of his chair. "Whiskey."

Forgetting himself for a minute, Ste scrunched up his nose. Brendan let out a chuckle.

"Not a fan, I take it?"

"Tried it once – I nicked it out of my step-dad's drinks' cabinet," he replied. "I was only fifteen, mind you. But yeah, it was disgusting. You knock yourself out, though."

Brendan smiled back. "Normally I'd do just that, but I think just the one drink will do for me tonight," he said as he drained the rest of the glass.

"Why's that?"

"It's been an interesting day, Steven. I'd quite like to remember it."

Ste felt rather hot all of a sudden. He tried to disguise the delight that comment gave him by swallowing a large gulp of lager.

He'd composed himself somewhat by the time he put the glass down again.

"That's one way to describe today," he remarked.

"Got another word for it, have ye?" Brendan was doing that thing that he'd done earlier in the lift, and it was very distracting for Ste. He was running his finger and thumb over his moustache and staring intently at him as if the next word he uttered really _mattered_ to him.

"Ridiculous," was what he came up with. It was an honest answer, but he'd meant it as a joke; and seconds later it occurred to him that the Irishman might not understand his meaning. "Er, what I meant was..."

"Don't worry about it," Brendan cut him off. "It was a bit crafty of me to mislead ye this morning."

"_Crafty_?" Ste repeated, shaking his head. "It was bloody mortifying! There I was telling you to be more concerned about your 'interview', and that my job's boring; and all the time you were my _boss_!"

"Don't be too hard on yeself – as I recall, ye never actually _said_ it was boring."

He rolled his eyes. There was no reason to hold back now that he was no longer one of Brendan's employees. "Right. Like I didn't give you that impression anyway."

The other man held his hands up in front of him as if in surrender to the conversation. The hint of a smirk on his lips gave him away. "Not at all."

"Anyway," Ste changed the subject. "Tell me about this change of direction you're going in? Must be something good to make you give up your half of the company!"

Brendan looked away then, and he didn't know whether he'd been too nosey, or whether the problem was something else entirely.

"Sorry," he added, feeling embarrassed. "It's none of my business. Just ignore me."

"No," Brendan replied instead, his eyes reconnecting with Ste's as quickly as they had torn away the moment before. "It's fine. It's just that it's...complicated."

Ste almost laughed at that. "Really? Now where've I heard _that_ one before?"

To be fair to the bloke, he usually heard this sort of excuse in regards to relationships; _not_ when it came to career moves. And this was the latter, so he really had no right to add any kind of snappiness to his tone.

But to his surprise, Brendan shot him a genuine smile.

"Ye have one hell of an attitude there, don't ye? I like that."

Ste didn't know what to say to that. It was true, after all. So he just polished off the rest of his drink and waited, hoping that he would elaborate on what was so complicated about the new changes in his life.

"My sister is opening up a club in LA. I'm moving there to run it with her."

_Oh_.

"Wow. That's...random," he replied, because that was the only thing inside his head in that moment.

Brendan chuckled. "Last thing I ever saw myself doing, I'll be honest. But when I offered to buy into the place with her, Cheryl asked if I'd consider being more than just a silent business partner. Said I had all the knowledge to help make it a success and that she could just be 'the face of it'."

"Wow," Ste repeated. "I bet that boosted your ego a fair bit, eh?"

"Now you're getting the idea, Steven. Well, there's that, and the fact that living and working in Dublin was getting a bit too predictable for my tastes."

"You and Mr Byrne founded the company together, though," Ste pointed out, curious about the meeting they'd attended that morning. "That must have been a hard decision to make?"

"Well," Brendan remarked thoughtfully, "yes and no. Don't get me wrong, it's the end of an era. But I'm sure you've noticed, old Benjy can be a bit highly strung." He was smirking by the time he'd finished his sentence.

Ste nodded in agreement before he could catch himself. "Whereas you're the 'optimist'," he grinned, thinking back to their time in the lift yet again.

"Usually."

With a confused frown at the way his words had been received, Ste pressed on with his chatter. "So can I just check something? This is a _nightclub _you're on about, right – not a country club meaning I've had the wrong end of the stick all this time?"

Brendan laughed then. Not like before - this was a real belly laugh, and it left Ste's head struggling to keep up with the other man's emotions.

"Yes, it's a nightclub."

"What are you calling it?"

"Chez Chez," was the response he got.

"Ah – Cheryl," he nodded. "So, I know I've asked you loads of questions already, but what's so complicated about all this?"

Brendan stood up suddenly, putting on his jacket. Ste found himself panicking that their evening was over already. "Oh, are you going?" he asked anxiously.

"I feel like going for a walk. Ye want to come with me?"

Ste found it an odd request after only one pint, but his answer was always going to be a yes. He got up from his seat and followed the man out of the pub. The street was lit only by the dim lights of the place they had just left, and he shoved his hands in his trouser pockets to keep them warm from the cold breeze.

"That's better. It was too noisy for this conversation in there," Brendan began, gesturing behind them.

"What conversation?"

"The complicated one," he smiled, and Ste could just about make it out in the light, which was fading into the distance with every step they took.

He was vaguely aware that the direction they were walking in was nowhere near where he lived, and that he was going to have to walk even further to get home after this. It didn't bother him enough to stop, though.

"Okay," Ste replied, intrigued enough to stay out in the chilly air with this man he'd known for less than 24 hours.

No more words were spoken, and before he knew what was happening, Brendan had come to a standstill, leaned in close and brought their mouths together. He pressed a quick kiss to his lips and then broke away just as Ste had been about to abandon his senses and kiss him back.

"That's why it's complicated," the man announced softly, and all Ste could do was gape at him for several seconds.

"You what?" he exclaimed when he could breathe again. "You ask me out, meet me for a drink, even _kiss_ me for God's sake and _then_ you tell me that I'm complicating your life? Who the hell do you think you are?"

"That's not what I meant," Brendan told him calmly.

"Then you're going to have to do a better job of explaining yourself, Brendan."

There was a pause, and Ste came close to turning and walking away during that silence.

"What I'm trying to say is that I was perfectly happy to leave until today. Everything was settled until I met ye."

The statement hung in the air, the Irishman's words settling in and making him gasp.

"I don't..._what_?"

Brendan didn't repeat himself. Apparently he saw no need to.

"What are you saying?" Ste asked. "That I've ruined everything for you? Because all you had to do was _not _ask me out. It's really not that difficult!"

"No, no. What I'm saying here, Steven, is that when I woke up this morning, I wanted to move to LA. And when I got out of that lift, I didn't want to any more. But I couldn't walk away and choose not to see ye again. I just _couldn't_ do it."

He was dumbfounded. Despite their obvious connection earlier, he hadn't really thought past the end of this night until the man had implied it – had never really looked past the end of his nose before. "So," he croaked out. "Here we are."

"Yes, here we are," Brendan replied, awkwardly stroking the back of his neck as his eyes fixed on the ground.

"Brendan," Ste said after a moment. "What are we doing?"

"I don't know."

After a long shared look, the younger man shook his head, both at himself and the ludicrous situation they were in.

"I should just go home. This was a mistake."

"Do ye _want_ to go home?" Brendan asked him then. He seemed to sense that the previous statement was about what he _should_ do, rather than what he actually wanted. "Do ye want to forget today ever happened?"

"What _did_ happen, exactly? We got stuck in a lift together on the way to a meeting, where you decided to hide the fact that you were one of my bosses. You invited me out for a drink, which is now all over and done with. You're moving to America; so that's that."

Brendan stepped closer, and Ste immediately wished he hadn't because it made it even harder for him to stick to his resolve. He could feel his heartbeat speeding up just from the heat radiating off of the man standing in front of him.

"Ye haven't answered my question, Steven."

Ste looked away, and Brendan ducked his head to the side, forcing him to meet his eyes.

"What do ye want to do? If ye can tell me honestly that ye want us to go our separate ways and never look back, I will respect that, I promise ye. I just don't think it's the truth."

And, forced to look directly into the eyes of this man, Ste knew he couldn't say that. He'd been fine not knowing about him before; but he couldn't confidently say the same thing about himself if he walked away now.

He leaned forward and kissed the man thoroughly, fervently. Such was the force of his touch against the man's body that Brendan ended up against a nearby wall, letting Ste take control of the kiss.

Pulling away after what seemed like an age, both men were breathing heavily, and it was a good few minutes before either one spoke again.

"Well, that's settled it. I can't leave now," Brendan announced with spontaneous conviction.

While the prospect of the Irishman emigrating after a kiss like _that_ made Ste ache, the idea of him cancelling everything for him was still laughable.

"You have to. It's all planned, isn't it?"

Brendan groaned then, like the fact was an afterthought that was suddenly a massive headache for him. "Yes. Unfortunately."

"Besides, you only met me this morning, remember! Hardly worth giving up your future for," he reasoned.

"Why don't ye let me be the judge of that."

Ste stood there in thought for a moment. "I'll tell you what," he suggested eventually. "I'll give you my number. Give me a call next time you're back in the country. You're bound to come back here at some point, aren't you?"

He was making an assumption out loud, but he wasn't sure he really believed in it. It was a nice sentiment, though.

Brendan had other ideas. "Then ye might as well take my number, because I'd sooner find a way to fly ye out to LA for a holiday than wait for 'at some point'. Ye get annual leave, don't ye?"

Ste retrieved his phone from his pocket, thinking here was a guy who never gave up. If he told anyone about the way this day had panned out, they probably wouldn't believe him.

But then, he doubted anyone else had been swept off their feet by anyone quite like Brendan Brady.

"Come on, Steven. I'll take ye home."

With a soft smile, he pocketed his phone again and followed the man into the night, back the way they had come.


	3. Chapter 3

"_Steven, it's Brendan. Brady,"_ said the man in the new voice mail message. _"I know I said I'd be in touch and it's been...well, it's been a while. So first of all I'm sorry about that."_

Ste shook his head as he listened, wondering why the bloke had even bothered dialling his number.

It had been over a month without a word, and he had already given up any hope of seeing Brendan again.

So why did his face flush red the moment he heard that voice?

"_The thing is,"_ the Irishman's message continued. _"It turns out that I've actually had to fly back after all. I know this is probably asking too much, but I'd...well, I'd really like to see ye, Steven."_

Even as his heart began to race at the thought, Ste huffed a cynical laugh at Brendan's request.

After hearing the end of the voice mail, in which the man had asked him to 'give him a call', he angrily deleted the message.

As if he was going to call him back. Why the hell should he?

_He_ was the one who had made out that he couldn't just rely on a potential visit back to England in which to see him again. _He_ was the one who had invited Ste over to LA for a holiday.

And if that idea had no longer been plausible, that didn't matter to him. But after everything that had been said that night, the very least he expected was for Brendan to contact him.

The weeks of silence just made Brendan's initial reluctance to leave because of him seem fake and pathetic.

"What's up with you, face ache?" asked his friend Jo as she sat down beside him, coffees and sandwiches in hand. They were on their lunch hour, only now Ste wasn't as hungry as he had been when they'd left the office.

"You look almost as miserable as you did a few weeks ago, d'you remember? You were walking around glaring at everyone and everything."

He gave her a long look to signify that he didn't appreciate being reminded.

"No, in fact," added Jo, ignoring his death stare. "You actually look _worse_ today. What's going on?"

Ste wanted to snap that if he hadn't told her what the problem was then, he was hardly likely to let her in on it _now_. But then he reminded himself that she was only being so pushy because she cared.

Which was something he'd thought Brendan Brady had done - cared. How wrong he had been.

"I met someone about a month ago," he admitted, taking a slurp from his latte. "Thought he liked me, but he never got in touch."

Jo's eyebrows shot up. "You're kidding. You got yourself a new fella? Why didn't you say anything?!"

_Because we used to work for him._

"Because he moved away. He spouted all this stuff about inviting me to stay with him, but nothing ever happened. And now I get this voice message from him, saying he wants to see me. _Now_, after all those weeks wishing I'd hear from him!"

Realising he'd just revealed far more than he'd wanted to share about his feelings, Ste looked away. After a couple of minutes of silence, his friend spoke up in gentle tones.

"You really liked this guy, didn't you?"

"I hardly even know him."

"Ste, you wouldn't have spent all that time wishing if you didn't like him," Jo reasoned. "Why didn't _you_ call _him_?"

He shook his head. He wasn't going to let Brendan off just because he himself hadn't made the next move. Ste wasn't the one who had pushed for...well, for the beginnings of a relationship, basically. He'd _tried_ to walk away, but _want_ had got in the way.

"The ball was sort of left in his court. Like I said, he was on about me having a holiday in LA with him. What was I supposed to do - text him and demand why it hadn't happened yet?"

Jo's eyes widened. "_LA_? What's he doing over there?"

"Running a nightclub with his sister."

"God, _I'd_ have taken that holiday if it had been up for grabs!"

Ste sighed. "It's not though, Jo."

She shrugged. "Right well, anyway. Why don't you call him back, if only to give him a piece of your mind for leaving it this long?"

"I just want to forget I ever met him," he replied; although that was easier said than done.

"I don't believe you."

Ste ignored her and made himself eat his sandwich. He refused to let this voice mail get to him.

* * *

Hours later, it was still getting to him.

He was just walking through the door of his flat when his phone rang again.

Ste knew it was Brendan because the number was still programmed into his phone.

Well, _in theory_ he had given up on the bloke; but it was taking a bit longer

for his head and his heart to catch up with him.

He slammed his door shut in annoyance, considered just rejecting the call; and then decided on another tactic. Something more direct.

"Stop calling me," he announced coldly after pressing 'answer'.

"Is that really all ye want to say, Steven?" came the calm, casual Irish lilt of Brendan Brady.

"Yes."

"Then why do ye sound so angry?"

Ste cursed himself. "I don't."

He heard Brendan letting out a long sigh, and hoped this meant he'd be giving up any second now. Instead, the Irishman's voice once again floated down the line; this time without any challenge in his tone.

"Look, I know I owe ye an explanation."

Ste didn't answer.

"Okay. A _big_ explanation. And I can give ye one. If ye give me a chance, I can promise ye that."

God, Ste was tempted to let him explain. He didn't know whether it was his pride he was protecting by saying no, or his state of mind. He'd had to bury a massive rush of feelings that had hit him when meeting this man.

"It's too late, Brendan. I'd say you made your real feelings clear by all these weeks of silence. Now please leave me alone."

After hanging up, he found himself waiting for him to phone back. When that didn't happen, the emotion that ran through him was a nonsensical mixture of relief and disappointment.

* * *

It was quiet in the Marketing department. Ste was bored, and that was never good news. But today it was particularly inconvenient, because he needed a distraction.

The memory of the phone call from the night before had been tormenting him all morning. Brendan's voice kept replaying in his head, and to his immense frustration, heat was prickling all over his body at the thought of it.

"Just getting some water," he said quietly to Jo, whose desk was opposite his. "You want some?"

She gave him an unusual look, then merely shook her head. Ste tried not to rush from the office in his desperation for some air. He wasn't heading to the water machine at all; he was going outside.

He took the stairs instead of the lift - something that was becoming a bit of a habit after what had happened the day he met Brendan.

When he pushed his way through the revolving doors, he very nearly crashed into someone, and was hit with a sudden wave of d_éjà vu._

Then he looked up into the face of the man going in the opposite direction and groaned.

"You."

"Hello, Steven," said Brendan, a tentative smile on his face.

Ignoring that familiar warmth that was flooding through him at the sight of this man, Ste turned around and walked back inside the building. But he knew he had no chance of escaping now. And, sure enough, Brendan followed him. Although in fairness, it seemed he'd actually been heading in that direction anyway.

Which brought up an interesting question.

"What are you doing here? You signed over your half of this place," Ste asked somewhat bluntly.

The moment the words were out of his mouth, he realised that the answer was obvious. It was written all over Brendan's face.

"I came to talk to ye," the other man replied.

"I asked you to leave me alone, Brendan."

"I know. I'm not dealing with that very well," he said jokingly.

"This isn't funny," Ste told him, and his words were so small and fragile now that Brendan frowned.

"I'm not laughing."

"No, you're not. But if you think you can just charm me into giving you the time of day again then you really must be having a laugh."

Brendan held up his hands as if in surrender. "No charm involved here. Five minutes is all I ask. Just think about it. Please."

Ste was about to force a refusal out of his mouth when the loud, surprised voice of Benjamin Byrne drifted over to them.

"Brendan!" The older man was in front of them in a flash.

"Hello, Benjy," Brendan replied distractedly. His eyes were still fixed on Ste's face, trying to gage what he had been about to say back before they had been interrupted.

"You never said you were back in the country!" Mr Byrne exclaimed with a smile.

"It was a last minute thing," was the only explanation he got.

Brendan was frowning again, and now Ste was curious as to whether he was planning on saying any more than that to him - _if_ he agreed to meet him.

"Well anyway, it's great to see you!" The older man was saying. "And very good timing on your part. I'm free as a bird for the next hour. What do you say to an early lunch?"

Brendan opened his mouth as if about to protest, but Ste sent him a look that said, 'don't you dare bring me into this as an excuse'. The Irishman promptly shut his mouth.

Byrne then looked at Ste himself, apparently as an afterthought, and gestured for him to disappear. "What are you even _doing_ down here? Lots to do upstairs, chop chop!"

There was _nothing_ to do. The whole department was falling asleep with boredom.

Still, he wasn't going to argue. Although Brendan very much looked like he wanted to as he followed his old friend out of the building, shooting longing glances in Ste's direction as he went.

Half an hour later, Ste sat at his desk and decided that sod it, he had to know why this man had messed him around, disappeared from the radar and then walked back into his life again.

He got out his phone, typed out a brief message, then changed his mind and deleted it. On an impulse, he looked up Brendan's name on his contacts and hit the call the button instead.

Ste wanted the man to hear some sort of strength in his words; a conviction that just because he was going to hear him out, that didn't mean he was going to be a pushover.

He got through to his voice mail - clearly Brendan was still at lunch with 'Benjy'. He looked around the office – nobody had even blinked at the sight of him on the phone. "You get five minutes after I finish work," he said firmly. "Same pub as last time."

* * *

Brendan was already there when he arrived. Ste momentarily wondered whether he'd been sat in this pub since lunchtime, recovering from his 'catch-up' with the delightful Benjamin Byrne.

There was a pint waiting for him when he reached the table – Brendan had apparently remembered what he liked to drink. He was nursing a whiskey, and he smiled at Ste as he sat down.

Taking a large gulp of lager, he nodded in thanks. "Needed that," was his greeting.

"I'm sorry if my turning up made your day more stressful," Brendan offered sincerely in response to his eager consumption.

"Don't flatter yourself," Ste told him, willing himself not to smile at the man's anxious apology. "It's been a busy afternoon."

"Ah. I see."

And it _had_ been busy in the office upon his return, after his run-in with Brendan. He'd walked _out_ of mind-numbing boredom and then walked back into mayhem. It had been really bizarre.

"Right," he said then. "Go on then; I'm listening."

Now that the subject of this meeting had been instigated, the man looked even _more_ anxious. Ste took a moment to give him the once over. Every feature was just as he remembered it; and yet he still seemed different. There was a light missing from his eyes, somehow. The move to America didn't seem to have done Brendan Brady many favours.

"To be honest with ye, I'm not sure where to start, Steven."

"Start with moving to LA, and how that somehow led you to forget I ever existed," Ste blurted out, the first twinges of hurt starting to spill out.

"It wasn't like that, I..."

"Right, okay, so then tell me how it was, Brendan."

"The first few days were hectic, and before I knew it it had been a week. There was just so much to do before we opened up the club, and then when it got to the Monday, things settled down a bit. I was on the point of calling ye, and then something else happened."

A sarcastic remark had been on the tip of Ste's tongue, but then Brendan's voice had broken on the last word and anything he'd been about to say back died on his lips.

He looked like he needed someone to _listen_.

"What happened?" he asked, with no idea what sort of an answer he could expect.

There was a pause, and then Brendan downed what was left in his whiskey glass before his eyes returned to Ste's face.

"Cheryl – my sister," he began in a quiet voice. "She got ill. Cancer."

That one terrifying word had not been uttered lightly, and with it Ste felt every one of his grievances pale into insignificance. He also felt like the most childish man on the planet. He'd been expecting some elaborately planned story.

Nothing about this could possibly be planned.

He couldn't quite speak yet; so instead he leaned further across the table towards the man, noticing how his face had paled since he'd told him.

"She flew over here to start treatment," Brendan continued. "Wouldn't let me come with her. She's stubborn, is Chez. She insisted that I stay where I was to 'make our club a success'. That was _all_ she wanted out of me," he laughed humourlessly. "Only now it turns out she has to have an operation. A risky one. I left the new manager in charge in LA and got the first flight out I could."

Ste sat back against his chair and let out a long breath. "I don't know what to say."

"Ye don't have to say anything."

"No but...that's awful, Brendan," he said. "I'm sorry. And not just for what you're going through; for all this grief you've had off me, too."

"Don't be, Steven."

"What made you call me, with all of that going on?"

The short silence that followed was sombre, but then Ste saw emotion of another sort in Brendan's eyes as he answered his question. "I missed ye."

He smiled, almost wanting to laugh at the bold statement, but knowing it would be inappropriate after discussing such a sensitive topic.

"Everything you know about me, you learnt in the space of _one_ day," he pointed out. Ste had never been missed by anyone his whole life; so he just couldn't fathom this piece of information.

"So?"

"It just doesn't make any sense," he replied.

_But then, nothing ever seemed to make sense in his head while in the presence of this man._

"If ye don't feel the same, Steven, it's okay. I just wanted to explain, and to say I'm sorry. And I've done that now, so..." Brendan trailed off awkwardly, and in that moment, Ste made a decision.

"You hungry? There's a place down the road that does the best pizza I've ever tasted. Come on."

He stood up, waited for the Irishman to get to his feet, and then led him out of the pub.

There was of course plenty more to be said, but for now this was enough. As much as he'd spent the last month trying to convince himself otherwise, an evening in Brendan Brady's company was _more_ than enough for him.

**A/N: To be continued...**

**Reviews appreciated as always **

**x**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Just a re-post of chapter 4 with an extra note to tell anyone who doesn't know - after I've completed my two on-going stories, (this being one of them) I'm not going to be writing for Stendan anymore. I think I've done all I can in terms of non-AU stories, to the point where I've overdone it a bit...but I will still be reading fic (couldn't give that up if I tried lol).**

**For the time being, I'm just going to concentrate on this story. Having a bit of writer's block when it comes to** Exposure **at the moment but I _will _finish it!**

**Sorry to be a pain by writing this in a confusing re-post of a chapter you've just read. I used to post extended Author's Notes as extra 'chapters' but find that this can be even more irritating for readers!**

**Thanks again for reading and for the lovely reviews. For anyone still following **Impressions**, I'll try and get the next instalment up as soon as possible :)**

In the days following their meeting, Ste heard from Brendan several times. They had agreed not to plan anything more for the time being so that Brendan could concentrate on being there for his sister. But that didn't stop the Irishman from texting him at least twice a day.

It was something that he'd begun to look forward to – a morning and evening message from this man.

On the fifth day, Ste finished work and found that he had a voice-mail waiting for him instead. It was Brendan, telling him that his sister had come through her operation and was now recovering reasonably well.

He sounded like he'd spent the entire day scared out of his mind, and Ste instantly wished he could have been there to help him through it.

It was only then that he understood where Brendan had been coming from the night he'd confessed that he'd 'missed him'. Suddenly he realised that it just didn't matter how little time they'd spent together. He had feelings for Brendan Brady already.

* * *

"Ye busy today, Steven?"

It was Saturday morning, and Ste had been just about to have breakfast when Brendan had called.

"No, I'm completely free," he replied, smiling stupidly into the phone. "Why?"

"Well, ye can say no of course, but...Chez wants to meet ye."

Ste lowered the phone from his ear for a moment to stare pointlessly at it for a few seconds. He had never expected this; in fact he hadn't expected another _date_ any time soon, let alone an invite to meet Brendan's sister.

"You've told her about me?"

There was a light chuckle on the other end at the daftness of the question. "I have."

"What did you tell her?"

Words were coming out of Ste's mouth before he could think them through, and it occurred to him too late that his next question should have been to ask how Cheryl was. Luckily, Brendan took it all in his stride.

"I'm sure she'll tell ye herself when ye see her – she seems to be back to her usual chatty self already."

"Right, okay," Ste agreed, hoping he really would hear more on the subject. "Glad to hear she's doing well. What time are you thinking today, then?"

"How about I pick ye up in an hour, if that suits ye?" Brendan suggested.

"Fine by me. Do you remember my address from the last time you dropped me off?"

"Sure, no problem. See ye soon, Steven."

Less than an hour later they were on their way to the hospital, and Ste couldn't help but study Brendan carefully. If it weren't for the worry lines and the dark circles under the man's eyes giving him cause for concern, he knew he would have been staring only to 'check him out'.

"How are you doing?" he asked when they were halfway through the journey.

"I'm fine. How are ye?"

Ste ignored the returning question and narrowed his eyes. "Are you _really_? Don't take this the wrong way – I'm only saying this because I care – but you look like you haven't slept in days."

Brendan chuckled, and his face seemed to brighten that little bit more despite the reference to his appearance. "Thank ye for that. And it's nice to know ye care."

"Wouldn't be here if I didn't, would I?"

Brendan let out an incoherent murmur in response, and Ste was compelled to say more.

"Wasn't my rant the last time we saw each other proof enough that I care?"

"A very good point – ye really were on fire that day, I must say."

Ste cringed at the memory. "Put my foot in it, more like. I'd never have laid into you like that if I'd known what you were going through."

"It's Cheryl that's going through it, not me," Brendan pointed out. But Ste shook his head.

"Don't pretend it's not hard for you too."

The Irishman sighed, and stopped to rub his eyes while waiting for the traffic lights to change. "I'm not going to win this round, am I?"

"Now you're getting the idea," he smiled. "So when was the last time you got a decent night's sleep?"

"I've been sleeping at the hospital, so..."

"What, _every_ night?"

Brendan nodded. "She's my sister, and she's the only family I've got. I only left her this morning because she insisted - she wouldn't shut up until I did."

Ste got the sense that brother and sister were equally stubborn. He smiled at the thought as they approached the hospital and parked the car.

They walked in side by side at a leisurely place, Brendan guiding him expertly to the oncology unit. Cheryl Brady had her own private room, and given the money Brendan must have had Ste knew he should have expected that.

Sometimes his head just couldn't compute with the fact that this man was so well-off. In person, there was hardly anything about him that gave that away.

"Chez, this is Steven," Brendan announced upon entering the room. Ste followed him inside and smiled at the blonde woman, who was sitting up in bed looking considerably brighter and more rested than her brother.

"Hi," he said softly as they sat down in the chairs next to the bed.

"Hello, love," Cheryl beamed at him. And now that he was up close, he could really see that she was ill. But the smile remained on her face as she looked at him and continued talking. "Brendan's told me all about ye, Steven."

"Everyone calls me Ste," he replied kindly. "Well, almost everyone!" He glanced at his companion, then back at the patient, who smirked back knowingly. "I've heard a lot about you, too."

"Well then," she said with a conspiratorial smile. "I'd say it's _his_ turn to be talked about, don't ye think?" She returned her gaze to Brendan and addressed him firmly. "Go and get me a smoothie, would ye Bren? And a strong coffee for yourself – ye look like ye need it. Ste, ye want anything?"

"Er..." He shifted awkwardly in his seat, wanting to wait until the older man gave him the nod.

"It looks like I've been told, Steven," Brendan said, amusement in his voice. "Might as well give me your order too."

Ste relaxed and nodded back. "In that case, I'll have a cappuccino, ta."

"Right. I won't be long. Chez, do me a favour and don't scare the poor bloke off. I quite like him."

He felt his face flush with familiar heat at the man's words. He knew they were only a small dose of his real feelings spoken aloud.

They watched Brendan leave the room and shut the door behind him, and then Cheryl surprised Ste by reaching for his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Ye seem to have had quite an effect on him," she announced.

"What do you mean?" Although Brendan had implied this himself, he wanted to hear exactly what it was that his sister had picked up on.

"For a start, I've never heard our Brendan say he liked _anyone_ before, let alone a fella he fancies."

Ste laughed at her blunt statement. "He told you he fancies me?"

"Let's just say it's implied. I've been reading between the lines ever since he told me about ye. I saw the way he was looking at ye just now – it's _so_ obvious! And ye feel the same way, don't ye?"

He paused. Of course he did; but he hadn't even said as much to Brendan yet – he didn't want to tell this woman before he told the man in question.

Not that he even knew _how_ to express how he felt about him.

Eventually he settled on nodding, because he couldn't let her think his answer was anything other than a yes.

Cheryl sighed and leaned back against her pillows. "Good. Ye know, when he first got to LA he was a complete nightmare to be around. Spent the best part of two days moping until I finally got him to talk."

"What did he say?"

"He said he'd got stuck in the lift with this gorgeous young thing while on his way to sign over his share of the company, and that he couldn't take his eyes off him."

With another soft chuckle, Ste shook his head at her. He had a feeling he'd made a new friend for life already. "Is this another one of those 'it was implied' things?

"Alright, ye got me. I'm paraphrasing, obviously. But I got all the main facts right, didn't I?"

"Yeah, that's how we met," he smiled at the memory.

"Now tell me, love," Cheryl said then, her voice taking on a completely different tone. "When my brother talked about me, did he tell ye what a nagging cow of a sister I can be?"

Ste frowned in surprise. The statement was so out of the blue, and sounded so foreign coming from this bubbly woman – even one in the situation she was in. "No! What are you talking about?"

"It's my fault he lost touch with ye when he left," she explained. He leaned closer and waited for her to continue. "I told him to get a grip and stop being so sulky. Said that he'd made his choice and that it was time to start getting on with opening our club, otherwise it was pointless him even being there. I was just feeling fed up and I took it out on him; I'd already started feeling unwell by then ye see. I never meant to ruin things for the two of ye."

It was a lot to hear in the space of one minute. But once he'd processed her confession he simply took her hand and, just as she'd done when Brendan had left the room, he gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"You haven't ruined anything."

Cheryl's eyes seemed to hold so much gratitude, and Ste knew then that there were things about the Brady siblings he had yet to figure out. He remembered what Brendan had said on the way over about his sister being the only family he had. It was something he would file away until the man himself felt ready to talk about it.

"So anyway," she smiled, changing the subject after a couple of minutes of silence. "Bren told me ye work in the marketing department?" she added as an afterthought.

"Are ye finished interrogating here, sis?" Brendan's voice startled him just as he was about to answer, and he turned to find him strolling back into the room with two drinks in hand. Ste hoped that meant that the Irishman had already finished his own coffee, for his own sake.

"I don't interrogate; I _gossip_, as well ye know," Cheryl answered with a wink in Ste's direction.

He couldn't help winking back as Brendan rolled his eyes to the heavens.

* * *

"Your sister's _so_ brave," Ste said as they approached his flat in the car. "I could never be that strong if I was going through all that."

"I think it's easier for her when she's got company. Conversation occupies her mind. That's why I don't like leaving her alone – in case she breaks."

He looked over at Brendan, whose face was closed off now that they'd said goodbye to Cheryl.

"If you ignore her and go straight back to the hospital now, I bet you anything she won't thank you for it. Cheryl said to go back to the hotel and get some sleep – _proper_ sleep."

There was no reply, and Ste decided to appeal to the man's common sense instead.

"Okay, think of it this way: why spend money to stay at a decent hotel if you're never even there?"

Brendan turned to him and shook his head in disbelief. "Don't ye ever give up, Steven?"

"Never," he grinned. It struck him then that this was a complete role reversal in comparison to their first meeting. _He'd_ been the one who was stressed, and Brendan had seemed to him to be nothing more than an oddly-optimistic stranger.

He wanted some of that optimism back for the guy.

"I don't suppose..."

Ste leaned towards him. "Yeah?"

"Would ye...would ye stay with me, if I went back to the hotel tonight?"

The younger man raised an eyebrow, on the point of commenting jokingly on his bare-faced cheek. Only now Brendan was looking at him sheepishly, vulnerably, and it looked as though he'd just heard his own words play back inside his head.

"I didn't mean _that_," he elaborated. "Just to sleep. At the risk of sounding pathetic, I'd rather not be alone at the moment."

With a soft smile in understanding, Ste nodded without hesitation, planting a kiss on his lips before opening the car door. "Let me just grab a few things from inside and then we can go."

As he ran to the flat and let himself in, he mused that he might not be able to find the words to tell Brendan exactly _how much_ he cared, but he could certainly be there for him so that he could see it for himself.

He knew by now that he was powerless in turning this man down, even if he wanted to. The pull towards him was just too strong.


	5. Chapter 5

Blinking awake to the daylight that was streaming through the window, Ste was momentarily confused in his surroundings until he remembered who he was with.

Beside him, Brendan was still fast asleep, and they were both fully clothed. Ste hadn't expected to fall asleep as well, but he suspected that had less to do with being tired and more to do with how relaxed and content he'd felt lying next to the Irishman.

And of course, the attraction was there too. He wasn't immune to the burning lust – it was still there, just like it had been that first night he'd kissed the man. He just didn't want to give into it yet. He knew now that this went beyond that.

Ste glanced down at his watch, finding that it was now just after five in the afternoon. Brendan still wasn't stirring, so he took the time to study the man's face, and then ran his eyes over his body as he slept on. It wasn't something he'd ever had the urge to do with anyone else; but for some reason he knew he could happily stare at this man all day long.

In a non-creepy sort of way, obviously.

Even in this state, Brendan still looked troubled – just as one would be when coping with the serious illness of a family member. His face was still pale, and the circles underneath his eyes hadn't lessened in the hours they'd slept through together.

To Ste, though, he was still the most gorgeous man he'd ever seen.

"Steven."

He was so startled that he almost fell off of the bed. Apparently in the last few seconds in which he'd turned away to daydream, Brendan had woken up.

"Oh. Hi." he replied, smiling awkwardly.

"What were ye doing, watching me sleep?" the Irishman asked with some amusement.

"Er..."

Thankfully the older man interrupted before he could dig himself any deeper.

"Ye hungry?"

Ste thought about it, suddenly remembering that he hadn't eaten since the hurried slice of toast that morning.

"Yeah, I am now that you mention it."

Brendan smiled lazily. "Good. I'm taking ye out for dinner then."

"What, like a date? Have we not passed the formal stage yet?" Not that he was complaining – Ste had just assumed that they'd missed the boat in terms of proper 'dating etiquette'.

"I think we've bypassed the formal thing altogether, Steven. What have we had exactly? Two drinks, one run-in at the office and a thrilling hospital visit? I think I owe you a night out after that."

Ste smirked. "Oh, it's a 'night out' now is it?"

With a sly grin, Brendan looked about to confirm the idea until another thought passed over his face. "I might just go and check on Chez first, after we've eaten," he said. "Then I'm _all yours_."

Raising his eyebrows, Ste's tone was suggestive despite himself. "Oh really...?"

They rose from the bed, freshened up for dinner and were just leaving Brendan's hotel when his phone buzzed with a text message. He let out a low chuckle and shook his head.

"What is it?"

"Chez. She knows me too well. Read this," Brendan replied, passing over his phone as they got into his car.

Ste took it and read the very blunt message on the screen.

"_Don't even think about coming back to the hospital tonight or ye will be in serious trouble. Spend some time with Ste – he's a keeper, is that one!"_

"Smart woman," he grinned, handing Brendan his phone back.

"Mmm. Very."

"Are you going to listen to her, then?"

With a soft, lopsided smile, the older man started the engine. "I don't think I have a choice in the matter, Steven."

"Oh that's nice, that is – and here I thought you actually _wanted_ to spend the evening with me!"

The smirk on Ste's face gave away his mock-outrage, and Brendan rolled his eyes.

They pulled up less than ten minutes later outside a Chinese restaurant that Ste had never heard of before. "Bit of a gamble – what if I didn't like Chinese food?"

"Ye do though, don't ye?" Brendan asked, not sounding at all worried. He'd picked up on the way Ste had asked the question and was now grinning quite cockily.

"That's not the point, you arrogant sod!" he exclaimed, but he was laughing through the words.

"Not arrogant. Just optimistic, remember?"

The reminder of words spoken during their first meeting had Ste smiling again as they strolled into the massive eatery. "Lucky for you I like a good sweet and sour dish," he replied.

Brendan waited until they'd been seated before he answered. "Hmm. I'm more of a pork ball man myself."

There was a beat of silence, then: "was that a deliberate food euphemism?"

"Ye started it, Steven."

"What the hell is so filthy about sweet and sour? Or don't I want to know?"

Brendan merely laughed at him.

"This evening could be going sour itself in a minute, Brendan!" In truth, however, it was nice to see the Irishman enjoying himself. After meeting Cheryl today and seeing what she and her brother were going through, he now understood more than ever how the man must have been feeling.

As much as anyone can when they haven't been though it themselves.

They ordered their food the minute the waitress arrived at their table, and Ste found himself biting his lip to stop himself from laughing childishly while Brendan asked for the pork balls.

* * *

For the first time in who knew how long, he looked away from Brendan to see what was going on around them. Almost every other table was occupied with a heterosexual couple. The two of them were the only 'couple' that consisted of two men, and Ste wasn't surprised. He'd never been on a proper date with a man before, and it had led him to believe that men just didn't do that with each other.

And while they waited for the bill, he was rather enjoying proving that theory wrong.

Although, it wasn't as if anyone would be able to tell in what form they were 'together' – they could have been straight mates for all an onlooker knew.

But their eyes, locked on each other, told a different story.

"Ste?"

He looked to his left to see his friend Jo standing in front of them, a surprised look on her face as she clocked sight of who he was with. An awkward looking man in glasses stood a few paces behind her – clearly her own date for the evening.

"Hiya," he smiled, attempting to direct it at the both of them, even though Jo seemed to have temporarily forgotten that her poor bloke existed.

"Mr Brady!" she replied somewhat loudly, looking at Brendan with interest. Ste looked over to see that the man himself didn't appear entirely sure as to who she was. Once upon a time, he'd have thought him arrogant and snobbish for that; but he'd got to know Brendan now. Even from their first encounter, there hadn't been an ounce of snobbery within him.

Obviously, Ste's opinion was on the verge of becoming biased. But that first, lasting impression meant something to him.

He intervened after catching sight of Brendan's clearly visible confusion. "This is Jo, we work together in Marketing," he explained patiently. "She was at that meeting, remember?"

The penny seemed to drop, and Ste watched on as the Irishman smiled charmingly at his friend, while Jo was too busy looking from one man to the other, apparently attempting to connect the dots.

"Ah," Brendan replied pleasantly, standing up to shake her hand, much to Ste's amusement. "In that case, no need to be so formal. I'm not the boss anymore, so please, call me Brendan."

Jo's face was still frozen; she looked as though he'd just told her to slap him. But after a minute she managed a smile and a nod. Just as she looked on the point of replying, her date finally made himself known by tapping her on the shoulder.

"I hate to interrupt, but we have a reservation..."

She whipped around to face the man, and Ste recognised her expression instantly. It was a look that, as far as he was concerned, meant that she was far from impressed with him so far anyway. When she nodded her agreement, it was either because she wanted to escape the awkwardness of bumping into her best mate having dinner with her old boss; or simply because she wanted a free meal and was merely humouring him.

"Sorry," Jo said as she returned her gaze to their table. "This is Martin. Martin this is Ste and Mr...erm, this is Brendan." Martin offered them a restrained smile and nodded in place of a greeting. Definitely not the man for her, Ste decided.

"Right well, I'd better go," she announced. "It was nice to see you again...Brendan." Coming from her mouth, the name sounded so unfamiliar, as if she still felt she was in breach of a contract in using it. "See you at work then, Ste!"

Seconds later, after a brief meaningful look in his direction, she was being led away by the inadequate date. and Ste sat back against his chair and let out a sigh.

"You have _no _idea how much gossip she's going to hound me for on Monday," he proclaimed across the table. Brendan smiled knowingly.

"Sounds exactly like my sister."

"Jo's worse, trust me."

Brendan smiled tightly and caught their waitress's attention, gesturing for the bill for the second time. He attempted to pay for the whole thing, but Ste was having none of it.

"Look, ye can pay next time if it makes ye happier," he was eventually told.

"Next time?" The thought warmed Ste's insides, and in the time it took for him to recover from the anticipation of it, Brendan took the opportunity to pay the bill while he was distracted.

"Fine," he huffed, pretending to be annoyed. "My turn next time then."

They headed out of the restaurant together, and the air was so refreshing that Ste found himself sighing contentedly. Maybe the place had been too stuffy; or _maybe, _as he suspected, it had something to do the way this man made him feel.

Brendan's voice broke him out of his lustful thoughts.

"Does it bother ye?" the older man asked softly, leaning against the nearby wall, arms casually folded.

Ste's brow creased, not following his meaning. "What?"

"Ye friend, seeing us together in there."

"Oh. No, I wasn't worried about that."

Brendan moved towards him, leaning in. Ste didn't move an inch; didn't want to.

"So what _were_ you worried about then?"

He shrugged, trying to give off the impression that it wasn't that much of an issue to him. He certainly hadn't been dwelling on it up until this conversation had restarted. He'd been far too busy thinking about the here and now.

Suddenly, though, he found himself over-analysing Jo's reaction to seeing him with Brendan; even though he hadn't been the least bit embarrassed about the situation.

"Honestly?" he asked pointlessly, biding time by waiting until the older man had nodded. "I just don't want Jo letting slip about us to the whole office, in case they all think there's something dodgy about me going out with one of the co-founders of the company." He cringed at how that must have sounded, but Brendan's face didn't give away any reaction. "God, that sounded horrible! I'm not embarrassed about it, okay? It's just that Mr Byrne seems to hate my guts already and..."

"Steven, take a breath will ye?" Brendan interrupted easily, not looking the slightest bit offended. "Forget Byrne, he doesn't matter."

They'd started heading to the car by now, and Ste waited until they'd got in and closed the doors before responding with a "what?"

"He's not important," the Irishman repeated. "If I was still involved in the company, then yes, maybe I'd have to have a word with him and make sure our personal business wouldn't affect the way ye are treated at work. But I'm not, so it's got nothing to do with him. I could march into the building and kiss ye in front of the old sod if I wanted, and he couldn't do a thing about it."

Ste stared at him, eyes wide with some degree of panic. Brendan chuckled, shaking his head.

"I'm _joking_!"

"You'd better be," he managed, trying not to smile. "Would've been a mad idea."

"So no stalking ye in the office, right...what about in lifts?" Brendan winked at him, and now Ste couldn't help but laugh. "Seriously though, while I'm here there doesn't need to be a problem. I'm not even planning on seeing Benjy again if I can help it."

"I thought he was a friend of yours? You worked with him for years!"

Brendan waved a hand around dismissively. "That's my point – I've seen far too much of him. Sick of the sight of the man."

Ste snorted. "I'm actually starting to feel quite sorry for him now. That's a scary thought." In the beat of silence that followed, something else Brendan had just said hit him square in the chest.

_While I'm still here._

The car was still parked while they talked, and now all concerns of whether or not Jo would blab to their colleagues fell to the back of Ste's mind.

Brendan couldn't stick around forever. Eventually he would have to return to LA to look after his new business.

Why the hell was he worrying about this becoming public knowledge amongst insignificant colleagues? He was wasting time.

"Brendan?"

"Mmm?"

Without another word he leaned towards the man in the driving seat, took his face in his hands and kissed him. He pulled away before things were in danger of becoming too heated, hoping that he'd still got his point across.

The point being his feelings, which he _still_ couldn't put into actual words.

Brendan surprised him then, cupping his hands in his own and looking into his eyes. "Steven, just so ye know; this isn't just a casual thing for me. Ye mean a lot to me."

That much had been clear enough just through the fact that they had yet to do more than kiss. And now, just like that, Ste's own feelings had been summed up perfectly by a man who felt exactly the same way about him.

With a smile so wide and goofy that it split across his face, he leaned towards Brendan again. "Me too."


End file.
